The Gift of Love
by Bella Caramel
Summary: Draco has moved to 12 Grimmauld Place to be protected by the Order. Hermoine decides to offer him a different kind of protection.
1. In the library

Hello, my lovely readers!! This story is in NO way my first fanfic... but it is the first one that I've published on this site!!

This is a Draco/Hermione fanfic... I do all different sorts of couples, but this one is my favorite for some reason.

The Harry Potter series or any of the characters in it do NOT belong to me... but the story is mine.

I hope you guys enjoy!!

12 Grimmauld Place was strangely quiet that afternoon. Everyone seemed to be out, and the house seemed empty without the usual steady stream of Order members walking in and out of the kitchen.

Draco Malfoy wandered aimlessly throughout the halls… searching for some form of entertainment. It had been two months since he had joined the Order. His father, who had fallen out of favor with the Dark Lord when he returned, took his wife and fled the country, leaving Draco in the care of the Order of the Phoenix…. Convinced that it was the only way to truly keep him safe.

Draco despised it.

Not only was under the constant watchful eyes of Weasel's family, but he was all alone.

He entered the library, hoping to find something to at least occupy his mind… when he saw her. She was curled into one of the plush chairs in the corner… her legs (which seemed impossibly long for such a petite girl,) folded up underneath her. She had what seemed to be a small spell book perched on her lap, and her long fingers were working away on something at what seemed to be lightening speed.

A small smile played across his lips as he studied her. It had been hard not to notice her in these past few months. She had changed drastically since he had first laid eyes on her during their first year at school.

Her hair was longer, and she had learned to tame it. Its glossy, wavy mass now hung to the small of her back and over her slim shoulders. Her body had also matured, and Draco often found himself wondering just when those breasts had gotten there… or whether or not her hips had always curved that way. Her full pink lips moved silently as she continued to work… her deep chocolate colored eyes moving over the words in her spell book tirelessly.

She was wearing a simple pair of sweatpants that had obviously been pilfered from one of the Weasley boys' pajama drawer. The grey pants were much too big for her, so she had rolled up the waist… displaying a small, tantalizing stretch of milky skin between where her formfitting blue tank top ended and her bottoms began. Overall, she made a very beautiful picture.

Draco cleared his throat slightly, trying to clear his mind. Startled by the noise, the small witch jumped, her book clattering to the ground as one delicate hand reached for her wand, which had been lying on the side table next to her.

Draco smirked, loving the way her dark eyes widened in surprise at his presence. Since he had arrived at the house, he had tried extremely hard to avoid everyone else… barely speaking to anyone.

"Hello, Granger." The deep tone of his own voice surprised him. He had expected it to be a bit rough due to its lack of use.

Hermione smiled tentatively, preparing herself for one of his sharp insults, no doubt. Her eyes flashed, and he knew, because he knew her, that even if he had been ready to insult her, she would have met him match for match. She always did. It was one of the many things that Draco Malfoy admired about Hermione Granger. Her strength.

"Hello, Malfoy…. I didn't know that anyone else was still around. Everyone else is out for the day."

Draco smirked again. "Can you really imagine me out shopping with the Weasleys?"

Hermione relaxed a bit, rewarding his ears with a short burst of her musical laughter. "No, I suppose not." She paused, averting her gaze to her lap, where she seemed to be finishing up the small project that she had been working on. "I am glad that you're here, though."

Draco's heart beat a bit faster, and he almost swore aloud at it to stop. Hermione didn't seem to notice. "I actually have something for you." Draco squeezed his eyes shut for a second… trying desperately not to picture all of the dirty things he would like to receive from her. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to meet her eyes. "For me?"

Hermione blushed a bit, and Draco couldn't help but marvel for a split second at how attractive she looked with rosy cheeks. "Yes. I've been working on something for the past week or so, and I've been meaning to talk to you about it." Hermione bent to retrieve the fallen spell book from the floor, took a moment to find her place, and held it out to him. Curious and desperate for an excuse to look away from the place where her tank top was stretching tightly across her breasts, he took the book and looked down at the page she had marked.

After studying the page for a moment, he looked up again, slightly confused. "Protective charms?"

"Yes," Hermione breathed, placing her dainty feet on the floor and sitting on the edge of her chair… always excited at the prospect of sharing new information with someone else. "I found this book of spells here in the library, and I thought that I would look through it and see if there was anything useful. This one jut sort of jumped out at me. Protective charms are repeated over and over while touching something or creating something… and that object sort of becomes…. I don't know…. Infused with the charm."

Genuinely interested, Draco pored over the words in the spell book. "So, basically, whoever carries this charmed object around with them is protected? From what?"

Hermione blushed again… it was obvious that the subject was new to her, and that she didn't have all of the answers. "Well, I'm not sure exactly. I'm not saying that it would protect the person from the killing curse exactly… but if I'm right, I think that would protect the holder of the object from most injuries, and maybe even most stunning spells."

Draco raised his eyebrows. She really did never cease to amaze him. "What sorts of objects are usually used?"

Hermione smiled a bit. "Well, I've read that the spell works best if the charm is actually put into an object that can be worn, so I thought that maybe a friendship bracelet would do nicely."

His eyes clouded with confusion, and Hermione looked uneasy. "You see…. It's a…..a muggle… concept, I suppose." When I was younger, the girls my age would weave bracelets out of thread in different colors, and you were supposed to give them to your friends when you were finished with them. I guess it was said that if you really concentrated hard on the person that you were making it for, your love for them would bring that person luck, and you would be friends forever."

Draco found himself smirking at the thought. Muggles were so sentimental. She must have noticed, because she flushed again and looked away. "I'm not saying that I believe it, of course…. But I thought that it was the perfect idea. By making a friendship bracelet while I repeated the charm, it would almost be like I was weaving the charm into it. Also, it can be worn easily. I just thought that it was a creative solution."

Hermione took a deep breath, and before she lost her nerve… reached a hand out to him, seizing one of his pale wrists in her hands. The touch of her fingers on his skin aroused him greatly, and he wanted nothing more than to lean closer into her…. To tangle his fingers into that gorgeous hair.

With her other hand, she retrieved the object that she had absentmindedly dropped into her lap a few moments ago and tied it about his wrist. Surprised, he looked down to find a small, delicate woven bracelet around his right wrist.

This time, she did not blush…. This time, she did not look away. She was leaning forward slightly, her eyes locked onto his and her hair tumbling around her neck and shoulders. They stayed that way for a moment… completely silent. When she spoke, her voice was soft… her eyes melting, liquid pools of chocolate brown. "I wanted you to have this."

All of the breath seemed to leave him… his heart racing. This beautiful woman… this wonderful, talented witch… wanted to protect him. To keep him safe.

He looked down at the slender fingers that were still encircling his wrist… feeling himself grow hard as he imagined what else he would like those fingers to wrap around. Finding his voice, he met her eyes again. Those gorgeous eyes that were so very full of uncertainty... she was worried that he would reject her gift… mock her. Insult her.

"Why?" He managed to choke out, his voice sounding strangled and forced to his own ears.

"I worry about you, Draco. I know that we haven't been on the best terms all of these years, but I…want you to stay safe. I've just been afraid that maybe Voldemort would target you now that your family… you know. I know that you resent me and everything that I stand for… but just… I don't know, just wear it, okay?" With that, she collected her things and stood to leave, but Draco stood from his seated position as well. They were extremely close, and Hermione found herself trapped between Draco and her recently occupied chair.

Smirking at the bewildered expression on her face, Draco lowered his mouth so that it was inches from her ear… and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head at the smell of her. Her scent was sweet and heady… he detected lavender and vanilla and something slightly fruity that he wasn't even sure had a name. His left hand came up to rest in the curve of her lower back while his right took up a strand of silky brown hair…. Twirling it in his fingers and reveling in the feel of it.

"I don't resent you, Granger, and I haven't for a very long while. We all make mistakes, and we all say things that we shouldn't say. Honestly," he paused, planting a soft kiss on her earlobe and feeling her tremble in his arms. "How could I hate something so impossibly beautiful?"

Hermione swallowed hard, shutting her eyes tightly. This could not really be happening. Here she was, in her pajamas, being held and touched by the very man who had plagued her dreams for years. A man who had been her enemy, but had made her want him anyway. It was all too much for her. Slowly, he pulled back to stare into her eyes. Hermione found herself unable to move… frozen as Draco's face came closer and closer to her own…


	2. I've got you under my skin

"'Mione

"'Mione?" Hermione jumped, and in an attempt to distance herself from Draco, backed into her recently vacated chair… toppling over and landing on the floor with a loud thud. Draco simply sighed, aiming a glare at the now smirking Boy Who Lived. He and Harry had developed sort of an odd camaraderie after Draco came to live at 12 Grimmauld place. Both men had realized the things that they had in common, and decided to form a sort of bond that was sort of like friendship. However, try as he might… Draco still couldn't seem to be able to stand Weasel. The puppy like looks that the tall redhead shot at Hermione whenever he thought she wasn't looking didn't improve matters much, either. "Sorry… did I interrupt something?" Draco smirked back. "What does it matter to you, Potter? Isn't there a little redhead around here somewhere that's waiting for you to snog her silly?" Harry grinned. "You have a point there, mate."

An irritated sound came from the floor somewhere behind Draco, and both boys glanced to where Hermione was still recovering from her little spill… her eyes flashing and her curly hair in disarray. "No need to help, boys… I suppose that I can do it on my own."

Standing and dusting herself off, she flushed, realizing that Harry's smug grin was not going to be fading any time soon.

"Well, I suppose that I'd better be off. I have some reading to do, and you two seem to be perfectly content in each other's company." With that, she picked up her book and headed to the door. She looked back for a moment, gave Draco a small smile, and exited in the direction that led to what Draco guessed was her room.

Harry's grin faded a bit, and he turned his gaze from the doorway to where Draco stood… his hands in his pockets and obviously uncomfortable. "Malfoy, I don't know exactly what's going on between you two…. If anything is going on… but there are some things that you should know." Draco sighed… meeting Harry's eyes and nodding slightly. He had known that this was going to be brought up eventually.

A short silenced followed where Harry seemed to be studying him. If he hadn't known better, Draco would have guessed that he was trying to read his mind.

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you."

"I understand."

"It's not easy for me to say. I'm glad that things are better between us, and I do want to be friends… but I love her like the sister that I never had the chance to have. For a while, she and Ron were all that I had."

"I understand, Potter."

Harry waited until he met his eyes again… and something that he found within them made him believe that he was telling the truth.

"Speaking of Ron… you know that he and Hermione have history. He will fight whatever this is every step of the way. Not because he still wants her… but because when they split, he wanted her to find someone better for her… someone who fit her. It will take him a while to accept that she's chosen you."

Draco nodded again.

"Is that all, Potter?"

Harry shook his head, still serious. "No. One more thing." He walked across the room to where Draco stood, and for a split second Draco was sorry that he left his wand in his room. However, there was no hostility as Harry clapped him on the shoulder, his face once again breaking into a wide grin. "She likes orchids, mate."

Draco laughed a bit, relaxing. "I'll keep that in mind."

The fact that he knew in his heart that he would be taking advantage of that piece of information made him smile in amazement. He, Draco Malfoy… the pureblooded Slytherin prince wanted to pursue Granger. The muggle born Gryffindor that had proved to be such a worthy arch nemesis all of these years. The most beautiful and intelligent witch that he had ever met. Hermione.

Harry's smile turned thoughtful. He could see that the blonde man standing across from him had feelings for the witch that he practically considered his sister. Feelings other than lust. 'This will be interesting….' He thought. Deciding to leave Draco alone with his thoughts, he smirked, playfully punching Draco's shoulder. "Well, I think it's time that I find that little redhead that we spoke of earlier. She's probably been looking for me, and I don't want to disappoint." With that, he turned to make his way out of the library.

"Harry."

Surprised, Harry turned to face the man that had never before called him by his first name. "Yeah?"

Draco gave him a crooked smile. "Thanks, mate."

Harry nodded once more. "Anytime.'

Later that night, Draco found his thoughts once again straying to the curly haired witch. He hadn't been able to find her for the rest of the day. Tonks had told him that she believed her to be doing some research in her room for the Order, and that she did not want to be disturbed. He had sighed and run his hand through his pale blonde hair… thanking his cousin and scowling at the knowing wink that she gave him just before he walked back down the hall towards his room. He had occupied himself by catching up on his studies for the following school year. (Many people didn't know, but he was just as much of a bookworm as Granger herself.) After his eyes started to ache from all of his reading, he decided to take a shower.

He thought that the hot water would help to help him relax… maybe help him to get his mind of off Granger for a few minutes. He was wrong.

Frustrated, he dried himself off… wrapping a towel around his waist and opening the door to walk back to his room. He stopped at the first door on his right. Granger's room. She and Ginny used to share a room on the floor below, but after a while she had requested to move to her own room since she often stayed awake hours after everyone else went to bed… studying and researching. Also, Ginny and Harry had gotten …closer… in their relationship over the past few months and Hermione decided that Ginny really needed her own space.

Draco paused outside of her door. The light was still on, and he could just picture her… sitting on her bed, surrounded by books and pieces of parchment, a small pair of reading glasses perched on her nose.

He swore softly as he felt himself grow hard again… turning and continuing down the hall to his room.

After he dressed in a pair of loose green pajama pants, he slipped between his sheets, hoping that he could find a way to sleep despite the day's events.

He reached over to turn out the light and paused, his silver eyes resting on the little bracelet on his left wrist. Surprisingly, he hadn't really taken the time to look at it since Hermione had put it on his wrist this afternoon. Relaxing back into the pillows, he lifted his wrist closer to his face. The bracelet had obviously taken Granger quite a bit of work. Hundreds and hundreds of knots had been painstakingly made in order to create a striped pattern of…. Green and silver. Draco smiled gently… incredibly touched. The protective charm would have worked the same way no matter what colors she had used… but she had chosen his house colors… especially for him. Then he thought about what she had said earlier in the library about friendship bracelets. How you were supposed to think about the person that you were making it for…and put all of your love for them into it.

He had the sudden urge to get out of bed, sprint down the hall, knock down her door and take her into his arms.

He resisted it, however… turning off the lights and trying to get comfortable under the blankets. There would be plenty of time for that later.


End file.
